The Accsoon CineEye is a new WiFi HDMI transmitter, able to send video signal at up to 1080p 60fps to a maximum distance of 100m. During NAB, we have talked about this new product with Neil Zhang from Accsoon.
Accsoon is a Chinese startup company producing camera accessories. In their portfolio, they already have a one-handed gimbal A1-PRO with a CineEye wireless image transmission technology. Now at NAB 2019, they are presenting a standalone HDMI image transmitter called CineEye.
Accsoon CineEye HDMI Transmitter
The CineEye transmitter is capable of sending a video signal at up to full HD 1080p resolution and 60fps frame rate. The transmitter features one HDMI-in port and uses 5G WiFi signal to send video wirelessly to a tablet or phone with both, Android or iOS system.
When it comes to the range of the transmitter, its signal can go for as far as 100m (328ft) in unobstructed environment without interference. Inside a building and at places with strong interference that will of course be less.
CineEye has a very low delay given it is a WiFi transmission. Accsoon claims the latency is 60ms (for iOS). The system supports bandwidth up to 300MB/s and one transmitter can send a signal to up to four devices at the same time, regardless of the OS – Android or iOS.
The CineEye module features compact aluminum housing with two foldable antennas. Once folded, it’s only the size of a credit card (90x63x21mm). The company also worked on optimizing heat generation. They claim that even after hours of transmission, the CineEye transmitter still won’t exceed the human body temperature.
There is a built-in battery within the transmitter, which currently lasts for around three hours of runtime. The company wants to improve that to 4 hours, when the final version of the product will be released. The module charges through a USB Type-C port (5V 1.5A power input) and it also works when it’s being charged, so it can serve well on long shoots too.
Accsoon App for iOS and Android
To receive the video signal from the CineEye transmitter, Accsoon has developed an app, which can be downloaded for free on Google Play (for Android) and in the App store (for iOS). The Accsoon app has a variety of useful functions for image monitoring.
There is focus peaking (available in three colors – green, blue, and white), false color, histogram, zebra, and markers (different aspect ratios, safe zones, grid, center marker), monochrome (red, blue, or green only). Users can also select various 3D LUTs included in the app, plus there is the possibility to add custom LUTs (via cube files).
CineEye transmission system will automatically find a clean channel before the transmission starts, and as the distance increases it will automatically lower the streaming bitrate to maintain real-time monitoring. Users can also manually change the Wifi channel directly in the app, in case there is an interference (there are 9 selectable 5G channels).
Pricing and Availability
The price for the transmitter is $219 USD. The company is aiming to start producing the CineEye transmitter at the end of April. It can only be pre-ordered on Amazon so far, and they should start shipping by the end of May.
Link: Accsoon Facebook page
What do you think of the Accsoon CineEye HDMI transmitter? Would you add a device like this to your kit? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

When Atomos released the Ninja V monitor/recorder, they also released a new expansion interface, called AtomX. With that universal port Atomos wants to expand the Ninjas feature set over time. First they announced a Sync module and a NDI module but, and this may come as a pleasant surprise, the first module you can actually purchase is this: An AtomX SDI module.
Atomos Ninja V with AtomX SDI module.
With this AtomX SDI module attached to the popular, yet HDMI 2.0 only, Ninja V monitor/recorder, you get pro level I/O for your precious Ninja. The two standard 75 Ohm BNC connectors are called A and B, not In and Out. And here’s why: You can configure them freely to fit your desired setup! Dual link SDI in? No problem. Two independent SDI inputs for easy A/B switching? Of course. One input and a loop output? Certainly.
Specifications and Video Formats
The AtomX SDI module supports the following video standards: up to 4K60p or up to 2K240p. The two independent 12G/6G/3G SDI inputs/outputs are very flexible but as a word of warning, here is one feature they can’t do (yet?): The Ninja V won’t cross-convert an incoming video stream over HDMI and output it via SDI. Turning it around, an SDI input can’t be routed to a HDMI output. It’s really a question of either SDI or HDMI. However, it is possible to output a (already recorded) video file over SDI and HDMI simultaneously.
Recording from cameras over single or dual link SDI uses your choice of standard Apple ProRes and Avid DNx file formats. Log, HLG and Rec.709 gammas are supported. There is also the option to ‘burn in’ a LUT to the recorded image for quick turnaround productions where there is little or no time for post processing.
Since the question will certainly arise, here is the quick answer: No, ProRes RAW is not (yet?) supported over SDI. The only cameras which currently do ProRes RAW (over HDMI) in conjunction with the Atomos Ninja V is the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7.
The AtomX SDI module is about the size of an NP style battery and fits snugly between the Ninja V and the actual NP battery. It will be available in May 2019 for $US199 / €199 plus taxes.
Other AtomX Modules
The other two already announced AtomX modules, Sync and NDI, are on their way, too but according to Atomos CEO Jeromy Young the SDI became a priority:
When we announced Sync and NDI, user feedback pushed us to make AtomX SDI a priority. So we’ve delivered it first, with NDI and Sync to follow shortly.
Read here for our coverage of the Sync and NDI modules.
Link: Atomos Website
What do you think? Is an SDI fueled Ninja V what you’ve waited for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

As Nikon and Atomos have announced, the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras will output RAW video signal via HDMI and the Atomos Ninja V will record it in high-quality ProRes RAW format. During CP+ we spoke with Shoji-san from Nikon, about this new capability. Please note that CP+ is a local show taking place in Japan and as such, most Japanese company representatives speak Japanese only. We chose to highlight this subject and bring you the video in Japanese with English subtitles. (Please turn CC on if needed)
As you might already know, in January 2019 Nikon and Atomos have announced that the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras will be able to output RAW signal through HDMI and the Atomos Ninja V recorder will be able to record that stream as a high-quality ProRes RAW video. My colleague Olaf wrote a nice article about the announcement titled “Why Atomos ProRes RAW Recording for Nikon Z7 and Z6 Could Change our Industry”. Give it a read if you haven’t already.
Shoji-san states that Nikon received feedback from their pro photographers, who are being asked to also shoot video next to photo, by their clients, nowadays. That’s why Nikon decided to include pro video features in their cameras. As the company does not have any cinema cameras range to protect, they can include whatever innovative feature they can, in their mirrorless cameras.
At the moment, both Nikon cameras record in 8-bit H.264 internally and up to 10-bit with N-log externally in ProRes 4:2:2. Soon, these cameras will be able to output 12-bit RAW signal and the Atomos Ninja V will record the footage into ProRes RAW. The function was developed together with Atomos. We didn’t get any information on when exactly the RAW output will be available, yet.
One important piece of information Shoji-san did share with us (without disclosing too much about future plans), is that Nikon is closely looking at the possibility of including high-quality internal recording in their future cameras. Reading between the lines, we won’t be surprised if some sort of internal high quality recording will be available within a reasonable timeframe…
What do you think of Nikon cameras outputting high-quality RAW signal? Would you consider buying one of their cameras because of the new feature? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Zacuto has announced the Kameleon, a new Micro EVF featuring higher pixel density, Lemo power input as well as supporting both HDMI and SDI. (This product was previously sold as JTZ Kameleon X01K)
EDIT: Zacuto contacted us and gave us the following additional information: The top says it was previously sold as JTZ. That isn’t accurate- it’s not the same product because the Kameleon is redesigned quite a bit and improved over the test preproduction run that was known as the X01K. We made lots of software changes, optic improvements, Zacuto’s anti-fog, eyecup and much more.
Zacuto has been in the Electronic View Finder (EVF) game for some years now. Previous to this announcement they had three in their line – The Gratical HD, Gratical X and Gratical Eye.
The new Kameleon breaks naming convention, sharing features from both the Gratical Eye and Gratical HD.
The Kameleon 1920X1080p display is the highest pixel count yet from Zacuto. With a screen resolution of 3103 PPI/ 6.5 million pixels versus 2687/5.4 to all Gratical models.
It still has a contrast ratio of 10,000:1, 60Hz refresh rate and 24-bit RGB color depth.
The suggested retail price of $1950 puts it right inline with the current price of the Gratical Eye, the major featuring difference being the additional HDMI port (that accepts 4K).
The Kameleon is new in ergonomics, closest in size to the Gratical Eye, mostly down to the fact it does not account for a battery solution (Like the Gratical HD/X), a 4-pin Lemo powers the Kameleon with a voltage range of 7-20V.
The inclusion of a HDMI port will likely be the most significant feature – this was removed for the Gratical Eye, but unlike the 4-ports (SDI in/out, HDMI in/out) found on the Gratical HD, the Kameleon features one SDI and one HDMI.
Also added is a USB-C port.
A joystick plus 4 hot-keys on the top controls the Zacuto menu system, hosting multiple features for exposure & focus assistance, as well as anamorphic squeezes, frame line, custom scaling audio meters and 1D & 3S LUT imports.
Other physical features include a diopter ring plus additional drop in diopters, anti-fog lens, auto-closing eyecups and an ARRI rosette on both sides for mounting.
To sum this all up, the Zacuto Kameleon comes with an improved pixel density screen, sitting a little under the Gratical HD by losing the battery solution and extra HDMI and SDI ports, but gains HDMI and USC-C on the Gratical Eye whilst maintaining it’s price point.
What do you think about the Zacuto Kameleon EVF? Are you in the market for a new viewfinder? What do you think of their Gratical products?

The SmallHD FOCUS 7 is their first 7” touchscreen monitor. A larger brother to the popular 5” touchscreen display, the FOCUS brings OS3 firmware, recessed HDMI input, L series power & power output to an entry-level market.
The FOCUS Line has been around for some time, and whilst taking a fair few revisions along the way (HDMI, SDI, OLED, LCD, Bolt wireless) has only ever been a constructed from a 5” display.
The SmallHD FOCUS 7 naturally upgrade to a 7” screen, a first for them in combination with a touchscreen IPS panel.
The FOCUS 7 screen has 1920X1200 resolution, although can accept up to 4K 30p signals. It has 1000nits of brightness and 323 pixel per inch.
Like the FOCUS 5 you navigate through the menu system via touchscreen; like all current SmallHD monitors the FOCUS 7 will take advantage of OS3 firmware (or later) meaning all advanced focus and exposure aids are at your finger tips… literally.
The SmallHD FOCUS 7 has X2 Sony L series compatible battery slots, an upgrade from a single slot on the FOCUS 5.
Like it’s smaller brother, the FOCUS 7 can provide power output to small mirrorless cameras via compatible cable, a neat feature in keeping small camera setups compact.
Other peripherals include a SD slot for LUT & still frame libraries, headphone jack, Micro USB port and full-sized recessed HDMI.
Being a recessed HDMI input port the FOCUS 7 body naturally protects the connection with the cable, a peripheral that is commonly known for inconsistencies.
Using the FOCUS 7 in conjunction with the SmallHD 7” Tilt Arm gives you a compact mounting solution with single-hand (tension) adjustment.
This is nice for use with gimbals and compact cameras. Another feature that will factor here is the weight, at 1.28-oz/0.319kg its 30% lighter than the SmallHD 702.
I expect the SmallHD FOCUS 7 to have the same expansion to its line as the FOCUS 5 – SDI, OLED and wireless versions. Prices for various packages and accessories below.
Are you using external monitors? What do you think of SmallHD? Or are you going the Atomos route with external recorder-monitors? Let us know in the comments below!

Polish camera accessories manufacturer 8Sinn has released a cage for the Atomos Ninja V — the wildly popular on camera recorder/monitor. Let’s take a closer look at their design.
8Sinn Cage with Atomos Ninja V
For most scenarios, the Atomos Ninja V can be used as-is and added to the camera-rig via the 1/4-inch threads it sports on top and on the bottom.
Add a small articulating arm or a little ball head with cold shoe adapter and you’re golden for many applications.
If the camera rig gets more complex, more mounting-points for the Ninja V might become a necessity and that’s where the 8Sinn Cage for the Atomos Ninja V comes in. The cage also offers some amount of additional protection against bumps and knocks on a busy set.
8Sinns Cage for the Atomos Ninja V is machined from a single piece of aluminum and fits snugly around the Atomos Ninja V, not adding too much bulk to the device.
Two 1/4-inch screws engage in the Ninja’s top- and bottom threads holding it securely in place. Next to the bottom screw are two locking pins that prevent the monitor from twisting inside the cages frame. I’m not quite sure where those locking pins will engage with the Ninja V’s housing, but it seems that it has two Phillips-screws at the bottom that need to be removed for that purpose.
All the ports and the on/off button are easily accessed with the Ninja mounted in the cage. The cage also does not obstruct any air vents. So basically the 8Sinn Cage can live on the device and does not normally need to be taken off.
Both the top- and bottom part of the cage are shaped to be compatible with Nato-Rail clamps, which have become quite ubiquitous in camera rigging systems.
8Sinn Cage for Atomos Ninja V – Nato-Rails top and bottom
The four corners all feature eyelets to attach a strap or cable ties —something that can be used for carrying or to tidy up cables on the camera rig.
The left side of the cage has a built-in HDMI cable clamp that protects the Ninja V’s HDMI ports from damage, or the cable becoming loose when it gets jerked.
8Sinn Cage for Atomos Ninja V – HDMI cable clamp is included
Although a cage like the 8Sinn Cage for Atomos Ninja V does make a lot of sense ins some scenarios, keep in mind that they add some bulk and weight to the camera rig.
The set includes the 8Sinn Cage for Atomos Ninja and the 8Sinn HDMI cable clamp.
8Sinn Cage for Atomos Ninja V – w/ optional Sunhood
8Sinn also offer an optional sun hood that makes it easier to see the monitor in bright sunlight, which can be attached by small strips of velcro.
Let us know in the comments if you are using cages on your on-camera monitor if you deem cages for monitors useful or whether you are thinking about buying one.

The BMPCC4K is a popular camera, no doubt about it. And a popular camera builds a market for third-party accessories. Just like many other manufacturers before them, Zacuto has just released their version of a dedicated cage for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
The Zacuto cage features a comfortable strap which keeps your hand snug to the camera. The trick is the “no-cage” design, you shouldn’t even notice that there’s a cage at all while holding the camera. Multiple 1/4 20″ threaded mounting holes can be found all over the cage for mounting additional accessories.
The top plate incorporates a Z-Rail (read: NATO rail) which can be used for balancing a top handle for example. As a nice touch, the rail is embedded (but can be moved back and forth) in the cage so the top plate is completely flat.
On the other side of this BMPCC4K cage there is another NATO rail that stabilizes the cage itself and allows a second handle to be fitted. The cage also comes with strain relief clamps and right angle adapters for both the USB and HDMI connectors.
Please note: The images in this article show a 3D-printed prototype of the actual cage. The real cage will be made out of anodized aluminum.
Zacuto BMPCC4K Cage
For mounting this BMPCC4K cage to a tripod or rig the bottom of the cage offers two ¼” 20 threads and one 3/8″ 16 thread. This opens the door for either a third party tripod plate to be mounted but you also can use the built-in Arca Swiss plate to mount the cage to any Arca Swiss compatible quick release mounting base.
The cage comes with a left wooden handgrip but you can mount any grip you like via the NATO rail on the left hand side of the cage – or no grip at all. An optional accessory for the BMPCC4K cage is the dedicated SSD holder which mounts to the top plate via two allen screws and holds a Samsung T5 SSD securely in place. Additionally the SSD holder offers a coldshoe for mounting more accessories.
Another (future) optional accessory will be a rod support for attaching 15mm rods to the cage and build a fully-fledged rig from there.
Other Options
Zacuto is a bit late to the party here. Other companies already have their BMPCC4K cage offerings ready. Click on one of the following links for our corresponding article:
8Sinn (link)
LockCircle HiPock (link)
Tilta modular cage (link)
Shape / Wooden Camera / SmallRig (link)
Vocas C-Cage (link)
As stated above, the popular BMPCC4K creates quite a market for dedicated camera cages and accessories. Which one is the best? I don’t know but I can tell from personal experience that Zacuto gear is well-build, rugged cleverly thought out. I like the “no-cage” approach but in order to really pick the best cage you have to try them all, which is not always an easy thing to do, obviously.
Link: Zacuto
Do you have any experiences with one of the above (or any other) cages for the BMPCC4K? Share your experiences in the comments below!

The Atomos Shinobi is a new 5″ HDMI on-camera monitor with a 1000nits 1920×1080 HDR screen, known from the Ninja V. It is lightweight, runs on one Sony NP-F750 type battery and offers lots of features to help monitor the image and even sound levels. It is shipping now for $399 USD (and €399) plus tax.
The new Atomos Shinobi HDMI Monitor. Source: Atomos
In the industry, Atomos is mostly known for their HDMI and SDI on-camera video recorders, which happen to have great, bright HDR screens. The company is now launching their newest addition to their portfolio – a high brightness 1000nits 5″ 1920×1080 HDMI monitor, named Atomos Shinobi. The specs sound familiar? That’s right – it consists of the same HDR monitor as the popular on-camera recorder Atomos Ninja V.
Atomos Shinobi – Ninja V’s More Affordable Cousin
With its 200g (7 oz), the Shinobi is a lightweight device. For reference, the Ninja V weighs 320g (11.3 oz), not including the weight of the battery. The body of the monitor is made out of polycarbonate and should be durable. It has ¼” – 20 mounting points on the top and bottom, to allow flexible mounting. There is a headphone jack on the side, which allows users to monitor audio from most cameras – even if they don’t have a built-in audio headphone jack (So sound travels via HDMI). Clear on-screen audio level meters help monitoring audio, too.
As mentioned above, the Atomos Shinobi shares the same HDR 1920×1080 display and color processing found in the Atomos Ninja V recorder. The 1000nit brightness screen makes it easy to monitor the image clearly, even in daylight. It has a pixel density of 427 PPI (pixels per inch) and is factory calibrated for color accuracy. The screen can display 10+ stops of dynamic range, when being used with Log or HLG HDR outputs. Atomos’ color science gives a complete range of in-built gamma presets to match popular cameras when shooting Log or HLG.
There is one HDMI-in port and a headphone jack on the left side. Source: Atomos
The Shinobi can run for up to six hours on a single Sony NP-F750 type battery, which lots of filmmakers probably already have in their kit. A clear on-screen battery gauge shows the status of the battery, indicating when it is running low. The battery plate is positioned in the centre for better balance when mounted to mirrorless cameras. There is one HDMI-in port, which can accept signals up to DCI 4K (4096×2160) at 30fps, or HD video up to 60fps.
Shinobi Backside with battery plate. Source: Atomos
Atomos Shinobi uses the AtomOS 10 system with the same touch-screen interface as all the other Atomos products. It allows users to quickly magnify the image or engage peaking to check focus, pull up false color, a histogram, zebras or waveform to gauge exposure, or add guides or markers to aid composition. With one swipe, all of the menus go away for a totally clear view of the image and its framing.
The Atomos Shinobi looks identical on the top and bottom side. Source: Atomos
For Log image monitoring, it is possible to easily load compatible LUTs directly into Shinobi’s built-in memory via SD card. The internal memory can take up to eight LUT files. In addition, countless LUTs can be kept on the SD card and loaded when needed. The same SD card slot can also be used to install any future firmware updates.
Atomos’ new multi-tool called Analysis sounds (and looks) quite interesting to me. It simultaneously shows the image, plus waveform, histogram, vectorscope and audio-level meters. In addition, there are multiple options inside each of these tools. This gives the operator a complete picture of what is going on within the image, at any time.
The Analysis Tool. Sourse: Atomos
A major benefit of Shinobi is that it can be properly color-calibrated, using the free Atomos software and the X-rite i1Display Pro probe. All monitors’ colors drift over time and routine calibration ensures that the colors remain as accurate as they originally left the factory. Also, there is a flip-screen function which mirrors the image – a valuable feature for vloggers.
The Atomos Shinobi is available for purchase now. The price is set at $399 USD (€399 in Europe) plus local taxes. I can see this bright monitor appeal to lots of mirrorless filmmakers, who don’t like external recording, and maybe even to beginning focus pullers, as the brightness is quite impressive.
What do you think about Atomos’ latest offering? Do you use a monitor for your work or is the camera’s viewfinder more than enough? Would you choose the Atomos Shinobi over the Ninja V? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.